Patent classifications
G01R33/0082
VECTOR LENGTH VARIANCE CHECK FOR FUNCTIONAL SAFETY OF ANGLE SENSORS
A magnetic angle sensor system includes a first magnetic sensor configured to generate a first sensor signal, a second magnetic sensor configured to generate a second sensor signal, and at least one signal processor configured to: generate an angle signal including an angular value corresponding to an orientation of a magnetic field based on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal; generate a vector length signal comprising a plurality of vector lengths corresponding to the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal; and extract at least one spectral component of the vector length signal, the at least one spectral component being indicative of a vector length variance between at least two consecutively sampled vector lengths of the plurality of vector lengths.
Compensation magnetic field generator for a magnetic field measurement system
A magnetic field generator includes a first planar substrate, a second planar substrate positioned opposite to the first planar substrate and separated from the first planar substrate by a gap, a first wiring set on the first planar substrate, a second wiring set on the second planar substrate, and one or more interconnects between the first planar substrate and the second planar substrate. The one or more interconnects electrically connect the first wiring set with the second wiring set to form a continuous electrical path. The continuous electrical path forms a conductive winding configured to generate, when supplied with a drive current, a first component of a compensation magnetic field configured to actively shield a magnetic field sensing region located in the gap from ambient background magnetic fields along a first axis that is substantially parallel to the first planar substrate and the second planar substrate.
MAGNETIC FIELD SENSOR WITH AN ADJUSTABLE THRESHOLD FOR STRAY FIELD IMMUNITY
A magnetic field sensor for detecting motion of an object includes one or more magnetic field sensing elements configured to generate a magnetic field signal in response to a magnetic field associated with the object and a detector configured to generate a comparison signal having edges occurring in response to a comparison of the magnetic field signal and a threshold signal and occurring at a rate corresponding to a speed of motion of the object. A speed monitor responsive to the comparison signal is configured to generate a speed signal having a value indicative of the speed of motion of the object. A threshold generator having an input coupled to receive the speed signal from the speed monitor and an output coupled to the detector is configured to generate the threshold signal at a first level when the value of the speed signal indicates that the speed of motion of the object is greater than a predetermined speed and at a second level when the value of the speed signal indicates that the speed of motion of the object is less than the predetermined speed.
Device with position detection
A device with position detection includes: a first hall element; a second hall element; a differential amplifier configured to generate a subtraction voltage by differentially amplifying a first hall voltage generated by the first hall element and a second hall voltage generated by the second hall element; a summing amplifier configured to generate a sum voltage by summatively amplifying the first and second hall voltages; a comparer configured to compare a reference voltage with the subtraction voltage to generate an error voltage; and a current converter configured to generate a bias current provided to the first and second hall elements, based on the error voltage, wherein the device is configured to detect a position of a detection object based on the sum voltage.
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device formed on a semiconductor substrate of a P type includes: a vertical resistor circuit including a resistor of an N type, the resistor forming a current path in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the semiconductor substrate; a Hall element provided on the semiconductor substrate, the Hall element being configured to supply a voltage proportional to a magnetic flux density in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the semiconductor substrate; an amplifier configured to amplify the voltage supplied from the Hall element, and supply the amplified voltage; a current/voltage conversion circuit configured to supply, as a comparison reference voltage, a voltage containing a product of a reference current IREF flowing through the vertical resistor circuit and a resistance value RREF of the vertical resistor circuit; and a comparator configured to receive the voltage supplied from the amplifier and the comparison reference voltage.
Hall sensor analog front end
A system includes a first amplifier and a first Hall sensor group coupled to the first amplifier. The system includes a second amplifier and a second Hall sensor group coupled to the second amplifier, where the second Hall sensor group includes a spinning Hall group. The system includes a first demodulator, where the first demodulator input is coupled to the first amplifier output. The system includes a second demodulator, where the second demodulator input is coupled to the second amplifier output. The system also includes a subtractor, the first subtractor input coupled to the first demodulator output, and the second subtractor input coupled to the second demodulator output. The system includes a filter coupled to the subtractor output and to a second input of the first amplifier, and a calibration module coupled to the subtractor output.
Magnetic field sensor with an adjustable threshold for stray field immunity
A magnetic field sensor for detecting motion of an object includes one or more magnetic field sensing elements configured to generate a magnetic field signal in response to a magnetic field associated with the object and a detector configured to generate a comparison signal having edges occurring in response to a comparison of the magnetic field signal and a threshold signal and occurring at a rate corresponding to a speed of motion of the object. A speed monitor responsive to the comparison signal is configured to generate a speed signal having a value indicative of the speed of motion of the object. A threshold generator having an input coupled to receive the speed signal from the speed monitor and an output coupled to the detector is configured to generate the threshold signal at a first level when the value of the speed signal indicates that the speed of motion of the object is greater than a predetermined speed and at a second level when the value of the speed signal indicates that the speed of motion of the object is less than the predetermined speed.
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRIMMING SENSOR OUTPUT USING A NEURAL NETWORK ENGINE
A sensor is provided, comprising: a first sensing element that is arranged to generate, at least in part, a first signal; a second sensing element that is arranged to generate, at least in part, a second signal; and a neural network circuit that is configured to output an adjusted signal based on the first signal and the second signal.
REDUCING VOLTAGE NON-LINEARITY IN A BRIDGE HAVING TUNNELING MAGNETORESISTANCE (TMR) ELEMENTS
In one aspect, a magnetic field sensor includes a plurality of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) elements that includes a first TMR element, a second TMR element, a third TMR element and a fourth TMR element. The first and second TMR elements are connected to a voltage source and the third and fourth TMR elements are connected to ground. Each TMR element has a pillar count of more than one pillar and the pillar count is selected to reduce the angle error below 1.0°.
HALL SENSOR
The present invention relates to a Hall effect sensor which is integrated in a semiconductor substrate and enables measurement of a magnetic field component. perpendicularly to the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The Hall effect sensor comprises several Hall elements having an electrically conductive semiconductor region which has a straight-line row of electrical measuring and control contacts on an end face on the substrate surface. The Hall elements are designed or can be operated in such manner that they have a sensitivity both to a magnetic field component parallel to and the magnetic field component perpendicular to the substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate (1). Several of the Hall elements are arranged such that their sensitivity to a magnetic field component parallel to the substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate can be compensated mutually by circuitry or in a signal evaluation. In this way, a sensitivity of these Hall elements to the magnetic field component perpendicular to the substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate is obtained. By using these Hall elements for measuring the magnetic field component perpendicularly to the substrate surface, a very low sensitivity to mechanical stresses can be achieved.